Ken & Kelly Seremak have been Y members for several years, but a visit to the doctor late last year was the trigger Ken needed to REALLY utilize their memberships and get moving at the Y. With encouragement from wife Kelly, better eating habits and the assistance of Y personal trainer Jeff Lewis, Ken has transformed his health for the better! The couple shares their story here, in their own words…

Kelly and Ken Seremak with Y personal trainer Jeff Lewis. This is their ‘after’ photo!

“Most people don’t give much attention to health and nutrition until something goes wrong or it doesn’t feel good. Just like many others, my wife Kelly and I were the same way, and had our share of health issues also. Kelly has suffered with many allergies that have forced her to restrict her diet and become a pescetarian (a vegetarian who also eats fish). I have had issues with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. We both have been overweight most of our lives. In December 2016 my doctor told me that my diabetes was “out of control” and he recommended that I start taking insulin immediately. I, like most people became very concerned. I went home and told Kelly the diagnosis from the doctor. She recommended that I start exercising, modify my diet and ‘Get Healthy.’

We have been members at the YMCA for many years, but I was not a faithful attendee. While we were both active people when we were younger, (Kelly is now 47 & I am 55) neither of us were consistent with our total wellness.

Kelly attended various classes throughout the years from swimming, to yoga & fitness classes, even this intense class called ‘kickboxing’. Last summer Kelly hurt her ankle and took to the pool for some of the classes offered there, but injured her shoulder and was not able to swim any longer, so she started taking some of the other classes offered. She “discovered” the kickboxing class with Jeff Lewis and really liked it. She was able to share her health concerns with Jeff and he offered many good recommendations, including stretches and exercises, even cryotherapy.

Kelly & Ken Seremek before their journey to better health began.

When I first started coming back to get healthy all I did was walk on the treadmill while Kelly attended the classes. By late January I started to attend the fitness classes also, especially the ones that Jeff was instructing. He really pushes the class to get the most out of each class. His knowledge in health and nutrition, and his desire to motivate the class (‘The Family’, as Jeff would say) has helped us extremely.

Now months later Kelly and I have lost well over 100lbs collectively. After re-visiting my doctor I am medication free! My blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes number are all back in the normal range.

People ask us how we did it… all we can say is the old fashioned way …diet & exercise. We are very happy we started to be more faithful to the YMCA, many people there have helped get on the right path. A special ‘THANKS’ to Jeff Lewis for always taking the time to discuss issues with us and to offer encouragement along the way.”